Ton Pentre Infants' School received more than £2,000 in funding from RCT Homes for project, which will see children grow and sell produce

A Rhondda primary school has unveiled a new school garden scheme for its young pupils following an investment of more than £2,000 by RCT Homes.

Ton Pentre Infants’ School has launched its environmental project which will see pupils grow, nurture and sell vegetables on a patch of land at their school, which has been transformed from an overgrown and unused area in the school grounds.

The school approached the social housing provider for funding for their project, which was officially opened at a ceremony last week – attended by school staff, pupils, friends of the school and RCT Homes representative Nathan Price.

Sharon Thomas, family engagement officer at the school, added: “The children wanted a gardening club at the school, which we set up as an after-school activity with Ty Ddewi, who got us a patch of land there, to broaden our links with the local community.

“When that was coming to an end, we decided to approach RCT Homes for some funding, and we received about £2,100 to transform the patch of land in the school grounds.

“Our ex-caretaker Phil Rees built it all for us – and the next stage is to grow runner beans and potatoes to sell to families associated with the school.

“It’s great for the children – they get to see the produce’s life cycles, and have a chance to grow and nurture the vegetables before selling them.

“The children love it. The project has transformed a very small patch of land which has over grown into a lovely, beautiful place for the children to improve their practical and academic skills.”

Sharon Williams, headteacher at Ton Pentre Infants’ School, added: “We are very grateful to RCT Homes for their financial support and advice while developing the planting patch.

“RCT Homes’ contribution has enabled our school to purchase essential resources for the garden area which will help in developing the children’s skills and knowledge in a variety of ways.

“We are looking forward to moving on to the next phase of the project. This involves selling produce to our families, including families from RCT Homes.”

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